Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), one of four left-wing House members currently in El Salvador to push for the return of suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia, has called on other lawmakers to travel to the Latin American country to advocate for migrants who are “illegally imprisoned,” falsely claiming one of them is a teenager.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) set the tone last week when he took time away from the job his constituents elected him to do in Congress to fly to El Salvador and meet with Abrego Garcia. Representatives Ansari, Maxwell Frost (D-FL), Robert Garcia (D-CA), and Maxine Dexter (D-OR) have now followed suit.
The representatives touched down on Monday to “pressure the Trump Administration to abide by a Supreme Court order to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia,” a press release announced.
In a Tuesday video posted to social media, Ansari referred to the United States as Abrego Garcia’s country despite his not having citizenship and demanded that she receive “proof of life confirmation”:
Just wrapped up a productive day here in El Salvador advocating for Kilmar Abrego Garcia and so many others who are illegally imprisoned.
— Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (@RepYassAnsari) April 21, 2025
We aren’t letting Trump off the hook–we will keep putting the pressure until he respects due process and the Supreme Court. pic.twitter.com/P6OCR9PWeF
“We have had a very long, productive day here in El Salvador. I’m here with three of my colleagues strongly advocating for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador, where he has been wrongfully deported to a prison here by Donald Trump,” the freshman congresswoman claimed. “We also were able to speak with the family directly. They are very concerned, and they want him to know that his family and country is trying to get him home.”
She went on to say that after meeting with officials at the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador, she has deduced that “the United States government, aka Donald Trump” has not taken any steps to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release from the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) outside of San Salvador.
“So this is a constitutional crisis issue,” Ansari claimed, before revealing that she has written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio to demand “regular proof of life confirmation for Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”
“We want to know his health and wellbeing, we want to make sure he has access to counsel, and finally, he needs to be released,” the Arizona lawmaker stated.
She also brought up Andry Hernandez Romero, a Venezuelan national who was also deported to CECOT after being suspected of being a member of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang — though she claimed the 31-year-old is a teenager.
“We also are working on a letter and have made formal requests about other individuals who are wrongfully detained here in El Salvador. That includes 19-year-old Andry Hernandez Romero,” Ansari claimed. “This is a 19-year-old gay artist who was coming legally to the United States through our CPB One app process, and because of some of the tattoos that he had, which is absurd, was sent to CECOT as well.”
Despite Ansari stating that Hernandez Romero is 19 years old twice, the New Yorker confirmed that the man in question is actually 31 after speaking with his family.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), both Abrego Garcia and Hernandez Romero are gang-affiliated:
No. DHS intelligence assessments go well beyond just gang affiliate tattoos.
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) March 24, 2025
This man’s own social media indicates he is a member of Tren de Aragua. https://t.co/UdVemUhAfq
1. When Garcia was arrested he was found with rolls of cash and drugs.
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) April 16, 2025
2. He was arrested with two other members of MS-13.
3. Two judges found that he was a member of MS-13. That finding has not been disturbed.
4. When arrested he was wearing what is effectively MS-13’s uniform. pic.twitter.com/iDY7jP371Y
Ansari continued to call on her other colleagues who are still doing their jobs in Congress to join her in El Salvador to “keep the pressure” on Trump, who she accused of wanting to “ride into the sunset” and forget about the “wrongfully” deported foreigners:
So there are many people dealing with this, many people who have been unjustly detained and deported here, and we are advocating for all of them. We will continue to keep the pressure on. One of the most important reasons why we’re here is because we know Donald Trump wants the story to die. He wants to be able to ride into the sunset and have to fight the Supreme Court, and not look back and we cannot allow that to happen. We have to continue to put the pressure on. I hope other members of Congress come here and see this for themselves, advocate for Kilmar, for Andry, and for others who have been wrongly detained and deported. And if we have more updates, we’ll be sure to share them.
While Van Hollen’s trip was taxpayer-funded, the four House Democrats complained in their press release that House Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-TN) “refused to approve” their request for an official congressional delegation, so funding was withheld.
